London Rock: The Unseen Archive. Photography by Alec Byrne. Preface by Tony Norman
first edition
2017 · San Rafael, CA
by BYRNE, ALEC
San Rafael, CA: Insight Editions, 2017. First Edition. Signed by the author / photographer Alec Byrne and dated by him “12/25/17” on the title page. Beautifully produced oversize book, 11 1/4” x 14 1’4”, 254 pages of mostly black & white photographs and a separate color section, with 5 six-page gatefolds, enclosed in the publisher’s box. As new. Organized into a preface by Tony Norman ‘Two Faces of London’, introduction by Alec Byrne with Tony Norman ‘More Than anything I Could Have Imagined’, the plates, color images, contact sheets, afterword by Alec Byrne with Tony Norman, and index, and acknowledgments. From the publisher: “Through the 1960s and into the ‘70s, young photographer Alec Byrne covered the exploding rock and roll scene in London. Legendary British artists - such as the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, the Who, and David Bowie - roiled the capital to the core along with groundbreaking American musicians such as Chuck Berry, Jimi Hendrix, and the Doors. The vibrancy of Swinging London provided provocative fodder for the talented lensman, capturing the height of a cultural revolution. Byrne’s resulting voluminous collection of rock and roll photos disappeared out of sight, kept in storage for the following forty years. This incredible archive is now presented for the first time in a gorgeous deluxe edition, enclosed in a lavishly designed case. Through rare performance images, intimate portraits, and candid captures of the scene, London Rock: The Unseen Archive brings the era into stunning focus, painting an evocative picture of an inimitable time and place.” Since those early, heady days, Alec Byrne’s work has been featured during the 2013 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony, exhibited at the South by Southwest music festival, and become a part of the National Portrait Gallery in London. From musician, photographer, and photography collector Graham Nash, whose portrait is included in the book from his time in the band the Hollies: “What a time it was, such a wonderful feeling, that music was a breath to the soul...that time in London, when every band wanted to change the world, convinced all that music was a growing, unchallenged force of nature. These images are physical proof of that pervading feeling of joy mixed with bravado, vision, and soul. Enjoy, as I did.” (Inventory #: 21904E)